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July 4, 2008 by admin
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Lagos in Pictures:
The city of Lagos lies in south-western Nigeria, on the Atlantic coast in the Gulf of Guinea, west of the Niger River delta, located on longitude 3° 24′ E and latitude 6° 27′ N. On this stretch of the high-rainfall West African coast, rivers flowing to the sea form swampy lagoons like Lagos Lagoon behind long coastal sand spits or sand bars. Some rivers, like Badagry Creek flow parallel to the coast for some distance before finding an exit through the sand bars to the sea.
The three major urban islands of Lagos in Lagos Lagoon are Lagos Island, Ikoyi, and Victoria. These islands are separated from the mainland by the main channel draining the lagoon into the Atlantic, which forms Lagos Harbour. The islands are separated from each other by creeks of varying sizes and are connected to Lagos Island by bridges. However the smaller sections of some creeks have been built over or filled in so today in places there is scarcely any water dividing Lagos Island and Ikoyi, or Victoria Island and Maroko.
Lagos Island contains many of the largest markets in Lagos, its central business district, the central mosque, and the Oba’s palace. Though largely derelict, Tinubu Square on Lagos Island is a site of historical importance; it was here that the Amalgamation ceremony that unified the North and South took place in 1914.
Ikoyi island, situated to the east of Lagos Island, housed the headquarters of the federal government and all other government buildings. It also has many hotels, and one of Africa’s largest golf courses. Originally a middle class neighbourhood, in recent years, it has become a fashionable enclave for the upper middle class to the upper class.
Ikeja houses the state government buildings and state parliament.
Victoria Island, situated to the south of Lagos Island, is a wealthy enclave that is one of the homes to Nigeria’s ruling elite and the country’s wealthiest. It also boasts a sizeable commercial district including Nigeria’s largest malls and movie theatres.
Across the main channel of the lagoon from Lagos Island, a smaller island called Iddo Island lay close to the mainland, and today is connected to the mainland like a peninsula. Three large bridges join Lagos Island to the mainland: Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge which start from Iddo Island, and the Third Mainland Bridge which by-passes congested mainland suburbs through the lagoon.
Most of the population of Lagos lives on the mainland, which is the site of industry and known for its music and nightlife, notably in areas around Yaba and Surulere, as well as the National Stadium Complex. Mainland districts include Ebute-Meta, Surulere, Yaba (Lagos) (site of the University of Lagos), Mushin, Maryland, Isolo, Ikotun, Ipaja, Ejigbo and Ikeja, site of Murtala Mohammed International Airport and the capital of Lagos State.
Lagos is Nigeria’s most prosperous city, and much of the nation’s wealth and economic activity are concentrated there. The commercial, financial and business centre of Lagos and of Nigeria remains the business district of Lagos Island, where most of the country’s largest banks and financial institutions are located. More than half of Nigeria’s industrial capacity is located in Lagos’s mainland suburbs, particularly in the Ikeja industrial estate. A wide range of manufactured goods are produced in the city, including machinery, motor vehicles, electronic equipment, chemicals, beer, processed food, and textiles.
The standard of living is higher in Lagos than in the rest of Nigeria, as residents have considerably greater access to food, fresh water, indoor plumbing, and modern technology.
The Port of Lagos is Nigeria’s leading port and one of the largest in Africa. It is administered by the Nigerian Port Authority and is split into three main sections: Lagos port, in the main channel next to Lagos Island, no longer used much, Apapa Port (site of the container terminal) and Tin Can Port, both located in Badagry Creek which flows into the Lagos Harbour from the west.[10] The port features a railhead.
The port handles imports of consumer goods, foodstuffs, motor vehicles, machinery, and industrial raw materials. Its export trade in timber and agricultural products such as cacao and groundnuts has declined since the early 1970s, although the port has seen growing amounts of crude oil exported, with export figures rising between 1997 and 2000.[11] Oil and petroleum products provide 20% of GDP and 95% of foreign exchange earnings in Nigeria as a whole.[12]
Source: Wikipedia
